With the city celebration underway, whether they were local residents of Steel City, invited visitors, or those mysterious outsiders, all felt the long-lost bustle.
Yet no one knew that beneath the veneer of prosperity, shadows hidden in the dark were quietly stirring.
The city guard had mobilized in full, all standard-issue mages were at their posts, and the equipment used to detect abnormal energy fluctuations was operating beyond capacity.
At this moment, the entire Steel City was running at full speed, monitoring every unusual occurrence.
Of course, most people knew nothing about it.
As evening fell, Luo Chuan and Yao Ziyan, who had spent the entire day wandering around, set off down the road home beneath the setting sun.
"Mm—so tired. Another satisfying and fulfilling day."
Yao Ziyan stretched lazily and let out a long sigh.
Luo Chuan clasped his hands behind his head and narrowed his eyes. "Did you forget something?"
"What?"
"Did your novel update today?"
Yao Ziyan's stretching motion froze, and so did the smile on her face. But it quickly melted away like ice and snow. "I'll just take a day off. Everyone will understand."
"Classmate Yao Xiaoyan, you've changed." Luo Chuan turned to look at Yao Ziyan, his voice full of sorrow.
"How have I changed?" Yao Ziyan pointed at herself with an amused smile.
"If this had been before, you definitely wouldn't have said that. You would've chosen to hurry back and spend the whole night writing the chapter you needed to update." Luo Chuan looked into Yao Ziyan's eyes and spoke earnestly. "Classmate Yao Xiaoyan, you've fallen."
"Then I've fallen. I think it feels pretty good." Yao Ziyan's steps remained light. "If we're looking for a reason, you're the one who caused it."
"Me?" Luo Chuan did not understand why he had to